Search Results for: Czech Republic

BY JONATHAN THOMSON
TWO-THIRDS of the population of the Republic of Ireland are in favour of doubling the price of cigarettes, according to a new survey, which says the view is shared by 50 per cent of Irish smokers. The survey was carried out on behalf of the Irish Office of Tobacco Control, which was interviewing a “nationally representative sample of 1,500 people.”…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
EUROPEAN Union ministers have been asked to impose definitive anti-dumping duties on imports of certain welded tubes and pipes, or iron or non-alloy steel from Czech Republic, Poland, Thailand, Turkey and the Ukraine. The proposal follows the imposition of provisional duties in March.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission has proposed the creation of a central European Union aid fund commanding between Euro 500,000 and Euro 1 billion, which could be raided by Member States and eastern European countries wanting to join the EU that fall victim to natural disasters.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
IN unkind moments, critics of the insurance industry might say that the sector revels in misfortune, making money out of pessimism and encouraging its clients to prepare for the worst. Of course, like most unconditional statements about business, the truth is far off and is a lot more murky.…

BY MARK ROWE
MONEY launderers looking to process their criminal gains look favourably upon south-east Asia. Authorities in the region are under-funded and overworked, while cash-transactions are a cultural norm, making it easy to ensure that money you would prefer not to be traced can simply disappear, with little likelihood that anyone will have the time to investigate the transaction.…

BY JONATHAN THOMSON
THE Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has claimed a boost in the number of Improvement Notices is helping it win its battle against the country’s unhygienic takeaways, cafes and restaurants.

The FSAI said that just fourteen Republic food outlets were closed down in the first six months of the year, ten less than in the same period last year and its food safety officials say the reason is an increase in the number of these Notices it has issued to proprietors.…

BY ALAN OSBORN
THE EUROPEAN Commission has approved a scheme for the development of the natural gas infrastructure in Northern Ireland that will mean supplies from the Republic of Ireland being pumped into the north for the first time. The Commission said that eventually the infrastructure may be extended to north-westerly regions of Ireland, such as Donegal, which are not currently served by natural gas and it therefore “takes a big step towards the development of an all-island natural gas infrastructure.”…

BY PHILIP FINE

AMAZON – the world’s largest online book retailer – could soon be selling clothes. The New York Times has reported several unnamed retail industry executives being approached by the on-line giant. Retailers Nordstrom, Gap, Banana Republic and Old Navy are expected to be first on board for a launch in the coming months.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE CZECH Republic has warned it may impose temporary safeguard duties on cocoa powder imports, which it claims boomed following its imposition last year of protective duties on sugar substitutes.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission has struck a fishing access deal with the west African island republic of Sao Tome and Principe, lasting from this summer until May 31, 2005. Assuming it is confirmed by EU ministers, access will be granted to Sao Tome waters for 36 freezer tuna seiners, (from France and Spain), two pole-and-line tuna vessels (from Portugal) and 25 surface longliners (from Spain and Portugal).…